Apparatus for indicating the number of conversations through telephones.



Pa'tbnted July 4, I899.

B. PETERSEN. APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS THROUGH TELEPHDNES.

(No Model.)

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U ITED STAT S PATENT ()FFICE.

CARL PETERSEN, OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

- APPARATUS FOR lNDlCATlNG T HE NUMBEROF CONVERSATlONS THROUGH TELEPHONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,113, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed July 30, 1898. Serial No. 687,278. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL PETERSEN, mechanical engineer, of Stampesgade 2, Oopenhagen,in the Kingdom of Denmark, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Number of Conversations Through aTelephon e, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that marks or indicates automatically the number of times connection has been established between a telephone and the central station for speaking purposesthat is, the number of times the station at which the indicator is located sends a call. The apparatus only marks when the subscriber is calling, whereas no mark is made when the subscriber is called. The indicator or counter is operated automatically by the act of sending a signal and does not require any special attention or control by the employees of the central station.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a side View of the apparatus, the parts being in position Fig. 2 shows the bellows inflated;.

of rest. and Fig. 3 shows a detail, partly in section.

In Fig. 2 the middle partition of the apparatus is considered removed. L and L indieate the two conducting-wires of the telephone-line, between which a short circuit may be established in the apparatus, the wire L being connected with the metallic part of the apparatus, while the wire L is connected with an insulated spring f. This short circuit is so arranged that rack 4", which forms a weight and is a part of the metallic portion of the apparatus, must be raised by turning the generator-shaft '5 before the bell at the distant station will be rung. When the spring and rack separate, they break the short circuit, which normally forms a cut-out for the generator, making it inoperative on the telephone-line. On spindle i, which is supported in bearings 2", is the armature of the signal-generator, the coils being connected with collector-rings, on which the brushes 6 7 bear, from which extend wires to wire L and rack r and to the insulated spring f, re spectively. N S indicate the generator-poles. The wire from brush 6 includes, or may include, a circuit-breaker 8, held closed by bar Z when the telephone is on its hook. When Fig. 3.

the telephone is removed, spring 10 raises the hook, moving the lower end of bar Z to the right, opening the circuit at 8. The rack r is attached to and suspended from the upper movable part of bellows m. These bellows consist of a firm middle wall or partition connected by means of flexible hinges made of skin, leather, or the like to an upper and lower movable flap. In the lower flap of the bellows is arranged a valve n, opening inward, and by means of a rod Z the lower flap of the bellows is connected with the crankpin on the generator-spindle 1'. By turning the spindle i the lower flap of the bellows will be moved up and down and alternately draw in air'through the valve n and press this air through avalve 72 into the upper compartment of the bellows. The upper flap of the bellows will then gradually rise until a pin 19, attached to asprin g o, touches against the cover of the casing, thereby causing a valve 17?, arranged to move inward, to open. The spindle '0' may therefore be turned for any length of time without running any risk of bursting or otherwise damaging the bellows. When the spindle is no longer turned,

the upper flap of the bellows will graduallysink, the air in the upper compartment being allowed to escape through a small opening 0. The size of the opening 0 is such that the collapsing of the upper compartment of the bellows is effected in a certain predeterminate timesay, for instance, five seconds. On a bolt or pin d in the side wall of the casing is arranged an angular'pieee c, pivoted on said bolt (1. In a suitable groove in the vertical arm of the angular piece 0 is arranged a pin or finger b in such a manner that it can slide up and down in the aforementioned groove, it being influenced in an upward direction by means of a spring I), To the finger 'b is attached a small arm a, that projects somewhat in frontof the side of the angular piece 0. When the apparatus is not working, a stoppers on the rack r rests against the projecting part of the arm a. Onto the horizontal arm of the angular piece 0 is attached a pawl-catch 6, arranged to engage into a ratchet-wheel 9, that serves either itself as a counter or is in cial indicator.

The telephone itself is, as usual, placed on a movable fork y, that moves upward when the telephone is taken down. The fork y is connected with one end of a lever 2, that can move around a pin 4, the other end of the lever z actuating a pawl 1 in such a manner that the pawl engages into the rack ras soon as the telephone is taken down, while it is disengaged from the rack when the telephone is replaced on the fork y. The pawl 1 is influenced by a spring 2. The upper end of the lever 2 is bent so as to form an angular hook z of such a length that when the leverz moves toward the left, which will happen when the telephone is taken down from the fork y, the hook 2' will be brought to press against the finger b when this finger is projecting above the angular piece 0.

The working of the apparatus is as follows: Vhen the handle on the generator-spindle i is turned, the bellows m will be filled with air and the upper flap of the bellows will rise, together with the rack 1', attached thereto. When rack 0' moves away from spring f, the passage of current for signaling to the central station begins and continues as long as the spindle is being turned. \Vhen the stopper 3 moves away from the arm a, the finger I), being actuated by its spring from below, will rise and project above the angular piece 0. When the ringing has been effected and the telephone is taken down from the fork y, the pawl 1 will grip into the rack r and keep it in a firm position, and thus prevent the bellows from collapsing. At the same time the hook z-will press against the finger b and move the angular piece 0 in the direction of the arrow 3, whereby the catch a will pull around the ratchet-wheel g by one tooth in the direction of arrow 4. This movement of the ratchet-wheel will therefore correspond to one conversation through the telephone in question. When after having been used the telephone is again placed on .the fork y, the pawl 1 will disengage from the rack r and simultaneously the book .2 will move away from the finger b. The bellows can now collapse, whereby the stopper 5 will come into contact with the arm a and pull the finger 1) down below the edge of the angular piece. The piece 0 will then move backward and assume its original position, the catch e sliding on the ratchet-wheel and stopping opposite the next tooth. The apparatus is then again in its original position and ready for use.

It will be seen that the ringing off after speaking can be effected without in any way influencing the conversation-indicator, provided that the ringing off takes place within the time fixed for the collapsing of the bellows-for instance, five seconds.

A call to the above-described apparatus from another subscriber will not influence the apparatus, and the telephone can be taken down from the fork y without the indicator moving. The lever .2 will move toward the left, it is true, but the hook .2 cannot press would be within my invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said invention and in what manner the sameis to'be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. The combination of a line L 2. signalgenerator having a spindle and current-collecting brushes, a bellows inflated by turning said spindle, a cut-out which normally renders said generator inoperative on the line, and means operated by said bellows for breaking the cut-out thereby rendering the generator operative on the line.

2. The combination of a line, a signal-generator connected to said line, a short circuit to said generator whereby it is rendered normally inoperative on the line, a bellows automatically inflated by operating said generator, and a circuit-breaker in said short circuit operated by movement of the bellows.

3. The combination of a line, a signal-generator connected to said line, a short circuit to said generator comprising a rack 1" moved by inflation of the bellows, an insulated spring f in contact with said rack, the rack and spring forming a circuit-breakerin the short circuit.

4. The combination with an inflatable device, a metal rack moved thereby, a spring making contact with the rack when the inflatable device is not inflated but breaking contact when the inflatable device is inflated, a line, a signal-generator connected to said line, and a normal short circuit to the generator including said rack and spring.

5. The combination with a bellows having a part which is raised by inflation of the bellows, a rack r suspended by said part, a line L connected to said rack, and a spring f in contact with the rack when the latter is down only, and a line L connected to springf.

6. The combination of a telephone-line, a telephone-hook moved by hanging and removing a telephone-receiver, a signal-generator, a counting-wheel, a pawl for turning it, a pivoted piece 0 on which said pawl is supported, a pin b carried by said piece, a spring tending to push the pin forward, a bellows, a connection between the generator-shaft and the bellows for inflating the latter by turning said shaft, a rack r with teeth thereon to which rack the telephone-line is connected, a spring f normally in contact with rack r, the signalgenerator being connected to the telephoneline and normally shunted through said spring and rack.

'7. The combination with a generator, abellows operated by the act of driving the generator, a counter having a pawl e for advancing it, a pivoted support 0 for said pawl, a pin 1) carried by support a, a spring tending to push the pin forward, a stopper 8 moved by the bellows compressing the spring and retracting pin 19 when the bellows is uninflated but allowing the spring to project the pin 1) when the bellows is inflated, and a lever 2' adapted to move the support 0 by striking the pin 1) when it projects.

8. The combination with a generator, a bellows operated by the act of drivingthe generator, a counter having a pawl e for advanc ing it, a pivoted support 0 for said pawl, a pin 19 carried by support 0, a spring tending to push the pin forward, a stopper 8 moved by the bellows compressing the spring and retracting pin 1) when the bellows is uninflated but allowing the spring to project the pin b when the bellows is inflated, and a lever 2' adapted to move the support 0 by striking the pin 1) when it projects, and a telephonehook adapted to operate said lever.

9. The combination with a generator, a bellows operated by the act of driving the generator, a counter having a pawl e for advancing it, a pivoted support a for said pawl, a pin 1) carried by support 0, a spring tending to push the spring forward, a rackrwith teeth thereon, a stopper 8' on said rack, the rack being connected to the bellows so as to be raised by inflation of the bellows, the stopper normally retracting pin 1), a lever adapted to strike said pin when the latter projects and operate the pawl and counter, and a pawl moved by said lever into engagement with the teeth of rack r, as set forth.

10. The combination of a counter-wheel, a pawl e a pivoted support 0 for the pawl, a pin I; carried by the support 0, a spring back of said pin, a weight normally compressing said spring retracting the pin and a pivoted lever adapted to move said support and pawl by pressing against the pin b when the latter projects, and a bellows for raising said weight. Signed at Copenhagen, Denmark, this 15th day of July, 1898.

Y CARL PETERSEN. I Witnesses:

ERNEST BARTELS, JULns BLow. 

